Spencer Reid

For the past few weeks, I'd called Sabrina to check in on her and Hallie. While I was going back and forth between cases, I'd seen Sabrina briefly; she hadn't been sleeping, especially since the night her windows were shattered. Even from the first day I'd met her she seemed to have deep bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but somehow, they'd gotten even worse. Although they made her look exhausted and a bit older, it never made her look any less beautiful and she never seemed to to not be smiling when I saw her.

Today, she was moving back into her home, and I'd gone over to her house to help make sure her security system was up and running, as well as an enthusiastic and affirmative Penelope.

"Okay, everything is up and running and looking good girlie," Garcia said, stepping down from one of Hallie's stools after clicking buttons on the security dial pad. "So, if you don't enter your code within sixty seconds of the alarm going off, the police and myself will be notified."

Sabrina smiled appreciatively at Garcia and looked up at the dial pad.

"What's the code?" She asked.

"I will leave that up to you, my darling. Just go ahead and enter in a six digit number and voila, you're secured."

Sabrina thought for a second before pressing six different buttons. I watched her small hands gently press in on 7 7 1 1 0 5.

I furrowed my brows as I wondered where she got the numbers from and opened my mouth to ask her, but was cut off by bright blue eyes and a tug at my hand.

"Hi, Spenter." Hallie smiled. I immediately bent down to her eye level with a wide smile.

"Hi, Hallie. It's good to see you," I reached behind her ear and showed her a quarter I'd "pulled" from her ear. "Is this yours?"

She giggled and shook her head, placing her hands behind her back. I reached behind her other ear and "pulled" out a small hair clip. "What about this?"

She smiled and nodded, gently taking the clip from my hands. I looked up to see Sabrina smiling softly at the two of us, and I tried to suppress my bashful smile and red cheeks by looking back down at Hallie holding the clip.

Garcia came up behind us and Hallie's attention was immediately elsewhere as she pointed to the crazy color pattern on her dress.

I stood up and walked over to Sabrina and awkwardly cleared my throat.

"Do you think you'll be able to get some sleep tonight?" I quietly asked her.

She kept her eyes on Hallie as she replied. "I hope so."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I was trying to be as helpful and considerate as possible without being too intrusive, but the sleep deprivation was only getting worse and we both knew it.

She looked at me and ran a hand over her face, letting it rest on her cheek with a tired smile. Her eyes didn't leave mine as she spoke.

"How about dinner?" she asked, tilting her head. She looked over at Garcia. "You in, Pelelopee?"

Garcia's eyes widened and looked from me to Sabrina and back to Hallie.

"Dinner? With you two cuties? In this beautiful house? Yes, yes, and yes! I am so in!" She exclaimed. "What should we have?"

Hallie jumped up from her seat on the floor and bounced up and down towards Sabrina, her smile only widening as her moms did too.

"Sketti! Sketti!" Hallie tugged on Sabrina's hands and swung it back and forth as she waited for her answer. "Pleeeeeease, mommy. Sketti, sketti."

Sabrina laughed and looked to Garcia and I with her eyebrows raised. "How do you guys feel about spaghetti then? It's Hallie's favorite, if you couldn't tell."

Garcia and I both laughed and agreed.

"Spenter, will you eat skeiti?" Hallie asked me. I reached down to pick her up, spinning her in my arms.

"Only if you help make it!" I laughed, twirling her around.

"Not me!" she said with a big smile, her finger stuck between her two front teeth as she taunted me. She burst into a fit of giggles as I tickled her sides.

"Yes, you! You have to help make it, or we can't have it, okay?" I joked, continuing to tickle her sides.

"Okay! Okay!" She laughed. She'd laughed so hard her face was tomato red, and she slumped in my arms with her head back, a huge grin on her face.

Garcia laughed along with Sabrina and they both walked towards the kitchen.

"Where is David Rossi when we need him?" Garcia joked, opening a box of pasta noodles.

* ੈ✩‧₊˚

After the four of us sat and ate (amongst lots of laughter and noodle hair on Hallie's behalf), we'd gathered into the living room to watch Hallie's favorite movie, Frozen.

Hallie had grabbed her favorite blankets and distributed them to us, and made a spot on the floor in front of the couch just for her and Garcia. She instructed Sabrina and I to take the couch, as the floor was strictly for princesses.

Within less than the first hour, she was passed out on Garcia. Penelope didn't seem to notice as she was invested in the movie.

"It's amazing how many times she can watch this without getting bored," Sabrina whispered next to me. "She usually doesn't fall asleep while this movie plays, so thank you to Penelope."

Garcia turned towards us and winked. She then started to move a sleeping Hallie off of her lap as her phone pinged. "I gotta get going guys, Kevin's having issues with my faucet. The guy has a huge brain and amazing tech skills, as well as a huge-" she cut herself off and closed her eyes, pursing her lips. "-anyways, he needs me to fix the jam. Thank you again so much for dinner, and please tell this little one I love her so much and i'll see her soon."

Sabrina nodded and gave her a quick hug from the couch, and within seconds, Garcia had armed the alarm and slipped out the front door.

I smiled and looked down at my hands, a burning question in the back of my mind. I didn't want to pry and I knew Sabrina appreciated the minimal questions I would ask- but it was going to drive me nuts.

Apparently, I wasn't as good at hiding my emotions as I'd hoped, because Sabrina asked, "What's wrong, Spencer?"

I laughed a little and looked up at her. "What makes you so sure something's wrong?"

She smiled softly and leaned her head against the couch, her body turned towards me with her arms tucked across her chest. "You aren't the only one who knows how to read people. Now, spill."

I turned a bit towards her to match our sitting positions, a small smile on my face. "If you don't mind me asking.... do the numbers you chose for the security code mean something significant to you?" I asked her, my voice low.

Her smile faded a bit as she studied my face and her posture visibly slouched as she became less confident. I quickly shook my head and started to apologize, when she gently placed her hand over mine.

"It's fine, Spencer." she said quietly, a lingering smile still evident on her pale face. "Yes, they do have a significant meaning to them."

I stayed silent as I patiently waited for her to continue.

"It's my sisters birthday...Backwards."

The realization immediately registered into my mind, remembering the six digits she'd pressed.

"Were you guys close?" I asked.

She gave me a sad smile and looked down at her hands, fidgeting with them.

"Yeah... we were really close," she starting to pick at her fingernails. "She was my best friend."

I nodded and bit the inside of my cheek, my mind filled with a million words that I didn't know how to piece together to form a consoling sentence. Consolidation and human comfort really was not my strong suit, as many would attest to.

"Do you want to talk about her? Maybe you could tell me a bit about her?" I finally asked.

She looked up from her hands and her eyes met mine. It seemed that her green eyes had become glassy and I was afraid I'd asked the wrong question.

She smiled and laughed a little, her posture returning back upright.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, the lingering smile still showing.

I returned the smile and shrugged my shoulders. "What did you guys like to do together?"

"Literally, everything," her smile had become huge as she looked back down at her hands, reminiscing in her memories. "We would go shopping together, we'd get ready together, we'd plan our futures together... there wasn't really anything we wouldn't do together.

"I was fifteen when she left for college. She left as soon as she graduated- it was like she couldn't wait get away from here," she sighed softly and tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. "We'd planned the year before to go on a summer trip after her graduation; I was so excited. But once it finally came around, she said she didn't want to go anymore.... she said she was too excited for school to start. So, she left that summer. It totally bummed me out, and I didn't see her for almost a year- she didn't even come home for Christmas that year."

She paused and looked back up at me, tears in her eyes. She shook her head and laughed a little as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so off track and tell my whole life story."

I unintentionally moved closer to her, our hands still touching, and shook my head.

"Don't apologize... I'd really like to know, if you're comfortable telling me." I said softly, my eyes searching hers for any sign of discomfort.

She seemed to notice the small change in distance and looked down at our hands once more.

"Hotch says you're quite the germaphobe when it comes to hand touching." she teased, her eyebrow quirked.

I chuckled and shrugged a little. " I don't really mind when it's your hand I'm touching..." I said, my heart jumping into my throat as I said it. I tried to save myself by quickly saying, "I'm quite comfortable with people I'm familiar with."

It was quite obvious I hadn't really tied up the end of my statement by saying that, but Sabrina didn't seem to mind. She curled her fingers into mine so they were now fully intertwined.

To try and rid the burn in my cheeks, I cleared my throat-as I usually did- and asked her to continue telling me about her sister.

"Sam was...." Sabrina paused for a moment, her eyes still on our intertwined hands. "...amazing. She was one of those people that never judged you for anything; was always so kind to everyone no matter who it was; she never second guessed herself, she was just so confident. She made you want to be a better person because she was just the best- I really wish she would've been able to meet Hallie. She would've loved her."

I smiled softly at her, my thumb gently and slowly caressing over the side of her hand.

"Why did Sam cancel your original vacation plans?" I questioned.

"I always wondered why Sam left right after graduation," Sabrina said quietly. "I never asked her. I always felt like I was just being too clingy- too needy. Especially considering my parents didn't even think anything of it. They barely even liked talking about her while she was away- my mom almost broke down crying anytime her name was brought up that first year."

I laughed a little. "It's normal for parents to feel a disconnect and a bit of abandonment when their children leave home. Statistics show that once they leave home for school, roughly 14,500 relationships between parents and children become stronger... did this happen for Sam and your parents?" I asked her.

She didn't laugh; her eyebrows furrowed and she stared down at something on my shirt as it appeared she was thinking about something.

"No... that didn't happen," she said slowly, her mind still clearly reeling over something. "My parents became really..... cold. Distant from Sam after that first year. I kind of always figured it was because she didn't come home for the holidays, but they never even seemed phased when she'd call to tell me she wasn't going to make it."

She stayed quiet for a second as we settled in the moment.

"What was your parents relationship like with Sam before she left for college?" I asked.

"We were all close, for the most part," she started. "I mean, it seemed like every other parent-kid relationship back then. My parents never let us out past nine PM on a school night, ten on the weekends; We weren't allowed to drink and party; We weren't allowed to date until we were seventeen-which, Sam took full advantage of and immediately started dating KJ on her seventeenth birthday."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I thought to where I'd heard that name before. Sabrina reminded me shortly after I'd even thought of it.

"KJ is Michelle's older brother. He and Sam dated up until graduation."

"Did your parents like KJ?" I asked, my voice still above a whisper as my eyes peered down to see Hallie still fast asleep on the makeshift princess bed.

"They didn't dislike him," she said. "But I do think they were probably relieved that they'd broken up before she went off to college. My parents were definitely one of those 'you need to focus on school, nothing else matters, and I don't care what you want' type parents. And for what?" She whispered the last question, obviously rhetorical. "They died before they could ever see either one of us graduate from college and become what we always talked about."

At that point, Sabrina's eyes were filled with tears and her cheeks were streaked with them as they flooded her face. She didn't say anything else as she cried silently. I tensed up a bit as she slightly leaned in to me, resting her forehead on my shoulder, letting her tears fall down to our intertwined hands.

Seeing as comfort was not something I was familiar with, I tried to think of what my mother would do for me if I were upset, or what I'd want someone else to do if I were searching for comfort and consolidation. I slowly reached my free hand up to her hair and lightly caressed it, bringing her to rest on my chest instead of my boney shoulder.

She seemed to appreciate the gesture as she no longer sat stiffly, her body relaxing into my arms as she cried softly.

"I'm so sorry, Sabrina." I whispered. It was the only thing I could think to say... What else was there?

Her shoulders only shook harder as the words came out of my mouth, and I pursed my lips together in regret. I kept running my hand over her hair gently, listening to her soft mumbles here and there. She would occasionally apologize for crying, murmur about the world cursing her and her child, until she stopped completely. Her breathing had finally become regulated as her head stayed pressed against my now wet shirt. I bit the inside of my lip as I looked down at her, her dark lashes still wet with tears as they fluttered lightly over her bright pink cheeks.

She'd finally fallen asleep after days (if not weeks) of insomnia, and I'd be dammed if I woke her just because it was in my arms.

* ੈ✩‧₊˚

Sabrina Woods

I'd accidentally startled myself awake, my eyes immediately darting around to look for Hallie. Panic settled into my chest as I looked down at the living room floor and didn't see her.

A small grunt was heard as I launched myself from the couch, and I yelped in surprise.

I looked down to see Spencer rubbing his torso, where I had pushed up on to get off of the couch.

"Spencer!" I yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here?" I tried to recollect what had happened last night, and the last thing I could remember was crying on Spencer.

Before he could reply, I walked towards the kitchen to see if Hallie was in there.

"Hallie?"

Spencer stood up and walked behind me, placing his hand gently at the center of my back.

"She's in her bed. She woke up and told me she liked her bed better than her princess floor." He chuckled.

I quickly walked over to her room and slowly opened the door, seeing her sweet little face fast asleep in her own tiny bed.

I let out a sigh of relief and closed her door back, running a hand over my face.

"I am so sorry. What time is it?" I whispered.

"Four thirty in the morning." He replied. He gave me a small smile and I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks as I noticed the large stain on his shirt.

"Can I get you anything? I really didn't mean to fall asleep like that... why didn't you wake me? I must've been a blubbering mess last night..."

He took a seat back onto the couch and I followed suit, my legs tucking under my butt.

"I didn't want to wake you... I know you haven't been able to sleep." He said with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Spencer," I looked him straight in the eyes. "You did not have to let me cry and pass out on you all in one setting. That is... a bit much."

He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at me. "Sabrina, I promise it was not an issue. I'm... glad that you felt comfortable enough to talk with me and more than anything, sleep while I was here. You don't ever have to apologize for that. Besides, I'm pretty sure I passed out not too long after you did. I only woke up when Hallie did about an hour ago."

I couldn't help the change of pace in my chest as I thought back to holding his hand and his comfort last night. I knew he wasn't big on touching, and the fact he let me sleep on him for six hours.... I didn't know what to think. Was this unethical?

I cleared my throat and gave him a small smile as well as a nod, and stood up from the couch.

"Well... thank you," I said quietly. "Do you want to go back to sleep? I have the guest bedroom set up with clean linen..."

He smiled and stood up, shaking his head. "No, that's okay. I'll probably be up for the day."

"Can I get you some coffee, at least?" I asked, walking to the kitchen.

"That'd be great, thank you."

I started the pot of coffee, my hands shaking slightly as I scooped the dark grounds into the back of the pot. Spencer seemed to notice, and gently grabbed my hand as I put the last scoop in.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes meeting mine.

I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Yes. I just haven't..."

"Slept in a while?" He interjected.

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. My eyes turned towards the loud coffee machine as it dribbled the hot liquid into the glass pot.

"I'm just surprised, is all. I fell asleep so fast, I didn't even mean to. I guess you're my lucky charm." I joked.

He laughed a little and looked down at his feet. "Well, I'd hate to take your luck away the next time you need to sleep."

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AUTHORS                                    NOTE.

Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I literally love every single one of you who vote and comment. I laugh at all of the comments, I'm so glad our energies are matched- just as chaotic and messy as me!

This chapter is very choppy and short, but I'm still bridging towards the JUICY stuff.

I'll try to update the next chapter ASAP! Love you all, pls don't forget to vote! it means the world to me!

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